2 stick close to Wright home

BENTONVILLE -- Technically speaking, the architect and design team of Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino has a strong grasp on why the Bachman Wilson House being assembled in Bentonville at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art matters.

Both can talk at length and in great detail about unique features of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house. There's the cantilever carport that Wright popularized, the use of 4-foot grids and radiant heat throughout his Usonian homes, and what they describe as a "magnificent control of scale."

A tour of the house with the New Jersey couple helps illustrate why their work has been recognized by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and the American Institute of Architects. Together they have restored multiple houses designed by Wright.

Even more apparent, though, is the Tarantinos' deep, emotional connection to the house, which they owned for 25 years.

There is such an attachment to the mahogany, concrete and glass structure, in fact, that a year after it was moved to Bentonville, they have yet to buy or build a house to replace it. Today the couple lives in a guest home that was added years ago to the Millstone, N.J., property, where the Bachman Wilson House once stood.

"It is kind of a bizarre, surreal experience," Sharon Tarantino said during the couple's April visit to the two-story, 1,800-square-foot home now in Bentonville. "It's a little disorienting. We took a gulp when we saw it. This kind of brings tears to our eyes, really."

Crystal Bridges, which is on track to open the home to the public this fall, purchased the Bachman Wilson House in 2013 and moved it to Bentonville last year. The Tarantinos have made at least four trips to Northwest Arkansas since the house was transported the 1,200-plus miles. They've lost count of their visits, but plan more and have made a point to return for milestone moments as the house is rebuilt overlooking the Crystal Spring that runs through the Bentonville property.

Wright built the Bachman Wilson House in 1954 for Gloria Bachman and Abraham Wilson. Bachman's brother, Marvin, was an apprentice to Wright.

But, what was once seen as a selling point of the house -- its proximity to a Raritan River tributary -- became the reason it had to be sold.

Multiple times over their 25 years living in the house, the Tarantinos had to repair flood damage. Eventually it became clear that the long-term prognosis for the house was not good if it remained where it was originally built.

Architectural Record describes the Tarantinos embarking on a "far-ranging, three-year global marketing effort" that included listing the house for sale at $1.5 million. How much the Crystal Bridges Museum spent on the structure, which was disassembled and its parts numbered piece-by-piece by a small crew that included the Tarantinos, has not been revealed.

Never had the couple been involved in a process quite like this one. Professionally it was one of their most-challenging projects ever, plus it was emotionally taxing.

"There were some times it was difficult to be there," Lawrence Tarantino said. "We had some emotional issues during that time, but we had dealt with the floods and were so happy knowing it would be saved and going to a good home."

Noting the lengths to which the Tarantino family went to preserve the home has been inspiring to the Crystal Bridges Museum employees, contractors and construction workers involved in the reassembly. Scott Eccleston, the museum's director of grounds and facilities, said the Tarantinos were "wonderful stewards of the home. We have to be good stewards."

The Tarantinos also have provided input during the reassembly. There is a delicate balance between remaining true to Wright's vision and considering practices that could preserve the home long-term, and that are economically and environmentally sound.

Construction materials are produced differently today from in the 1950s, approaches to building have changed, and there are updated standards.

Discussions have included how to get the home in compliance with standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, for example. Although Wright was a proponent of limiting the types of trades and materials used in the building, and his approach could be considered economically and environmentally friendly, there are conversations to be had about modern technologies like LED lighting and improved insulation.

The Tarantinos "lived there for years. They knew how it felt. We did not. We have a lot of conversations based on that," Eccleston said. "We have struggles with new technology versus old technology. There's better roofing systems out there. At some point and time, if nobody is ever going to see it and there's a much better way to do it, you have to at least consider that."

Also benefiting from the Tarantinos' knowledge of the Bachman Wilson House and Wright's legacy is the University of Arkansas' Fay Jones School of Architecture. Select students have been able to interact with the Tarantinos over the past year. Jones, an Arkansas native, was an apprentice to Wright, something the Tarantinos considered when agreeing to ship the house to Arkansas.

UA associate architecture professor Greg Herman led students through a project that created a model of the home. That model is on display in the south entrance of the Crystal Bridges Museum, close to where the house is being rebuilt.

Students led by Santiago Perez, assistant professor of architecture and the 21st century chair in integrated practice in the architecture school, were put in charge of designing and installing an interpretation pavilion that will be the first stop for visitors to the home.

Herman and Perez said meetings with the Tarantinos have been invaluable for students. They also noted the love Sharon and Lawrence Tarantino have for the house, which Herman describes as "their baby."

"We had some wonderful conversations," Perez said. "They love the house. They literally lived in it. They're architects. It's not surprising they feel the way they do about it. I think they've also kind of fallen in love with Arkansas. They have become part of the extended family."

Developing that connection to Northwest Arkansas has helped ease the pain of no longer owning the home, the couple said. Reaction from Arkansans and other enthusiasts of Wright and the Crystal Bridges Museum has been encouraging.

It also helps, Sharon Tarantino said, knowing that the home will help visitors gain a better understanding of residential architecture as art.

"Everyone knows about this," Sharon Tarantino said of the house's relocation. "It's amazing how it can create a little frenzy almost, it seems like. What is so great and really fulfilling about it, we feel like we've done something that is important for saving the house, but also educating."

Lawrence Tarantino echoed his wife's sentiments. Then, as the two walked down a hill overlooking the property for a final time during their most recent visit, he added a thought that has entered their minds periodically over the past year.

"I guess it's too late to change our mind."

SundayMonday on 04/19/2015